This study was qualitative in nature,with a sample size
characteristic of qualitative methods, and is therefore not generalizable to a larger population of persons with diabetes and MI. The present study was retrospective, and data on participants’ prehospital experiences were collected 1 to 5 days after hospitalization. The short time between the onset of symptoms and the interviews
reduces the risk of inaccuracy due to deterioration of memory. Some of the participants may have received analgesic or sedative drugs in the ambulance or during
their first hours in hospital, and we do not know whether that affected their memory of the MI onset.